It’s Labor Day in the United States and Labour Day or Fête du Travail in Canada.
A celebration of the creative work accomplished by hand seems appropriate for today.
The hands making things and hands made by hand were made by:
No. 1 & 8: The right and left hands of “David” by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1501-1504, Gallerie dall’Accademia, No. 2 & 7: Detail from the woodblock, “Women enacting the process of cutting and printing woodblocks for popular prints,” by Utagawa Kunisada, 1857, British Museum. No. 3: Snapping a line detail from “The Holy Family in the Carpenter’s Shop,” attributed to Jean Tassel, 1608-1667, photo via artnet. No. 4: Detail from “Builders n.1,” by Jacob Lawrence, 1974, Musei Vaticani. No. 5: Detail of a relief panel carved from gypsum alabaster, Neo-Assyrian from Nimrud, ca. 883-859 BCE, Met Museum. No. 6: Detail from “The Lacemaker,” by Johannes Vermeer, 1669-1670, The Louvre. No. 9: Detail of a relief panel carved from gypsum alabaster, Neo-Assyrian from Dur-Sharrukin, ca. 8th century BCE, The Louvre.
Happy Labor or Labour Day – Bonne Fête du Travail!
One of the difficulties students have when making Irish stick chairs is drilling the mortises for the two back sticks that also pass through each arm (we call these particular back sticks “posts”).
For a recent class, I made a jig that makes it easier to drill accurate mortises. While no jig is foolproof, this one is close.
If you know me, you know that I avoid jigs. For my work – especially with stick chairs – I would rather rely on skills than gizmos. This jig is simple (two pieces of wood screwed together) and actually removes the need for another simple jig I use when drilling mortises in the arms and seats. So it’s a bit of a wash when it comes to counting the jigs I use.
If you’re lost (“Martha, what the heck are ‘stick chairs!’”), then take a look at this book: “The Stick Chair Book.” It’s a free download.
About the Jig
Essentially, it’s an oversized doweling jig that lets you drill 3/4”-diameter mortises at exactly 20° off 90°. You simply clamp the jig over the mortise location, place a 3/4” bit in the jig and drill. The only thing that can go wrong is that you lean sideways as you drill and waller out the hole in the jig.
The jig is made from two pieces of wood: a 1/2” x 6” x 6” base and a 2” x 2” x 6” drilling block. You can use any old thing for the base, but I recommend a stout wood for the drilling block.
To make the jig, bore a 3/4” hole through the block. The hole should be centered on one edge. Cut off the bottom of the drilling block so it’s a wedge with a 20° included angle. (It will look like a doorstop with a hole bored through it.) Then glue and screw the drilling block to the base.
Next drill out the 3/4” hole that passes through the base. You are almost done.
I added some lines to the base that indicated the centerpoint of the hole through the jig. These allow you to place the jig accurately on your layout lines.
The jig on the seat. The sightlines are in red.
Using the Jig
All the sightlines for the five back sticks of this chair are at 0° – or straight ahead. Draw them on the seat, plus the locations for the mortises for the back sticks. Put your drill bit through the hole in the jig and position the bit’s point on the location of a mortise. Allow the jig’s base to rest on the seat. Rotate it until the jig’s centerlines match up with the sightlines. Clamp the jig down.
Now run the spinning bit through the seat, guided by the jig. Repeat this process for the other four mortises for the back sticks.
Drilling the mortise through the arm for the post is a bit of a trick. I had to figure out where the sightline was on the arm so that the arm would end up in the right place in space. This was done with a drawing (see below).
Once I marked this sightline on my arms, it was easy to place the jig on an arm in the right place. To drill the mortise, I clamped the jig and arm together in a vise (this was easier than adding clamps).
Placing the tip of the bit on the mortise’s location.
Clamp the jig and arm in a vise.
With the holes for the posts drilled in the arms and seat, I put the posts in the seat, threaded the arms over the posts and held them 8” above the seat with the drilling rig I use for almost all my chairs (which is shown in “The Stick Chair Book” about 100 times).
The posts, arms and one drilling jig. I am ready to drill the mortises in the arms.
Of the nine chairs we built in class with this jig, a couple students had mortises that weren’t aligned. After some investigation I realized it was human error. The student had driven the bit sideways and cut into the jig with the bit’s side flutes.
This problem can be minimized by sanding the sharp flutes of the bit that allow this side-cutting. I used #220-grit paper and only sanded the flutes – not the cutting edges of the bit at its tip.
This type of jig also works great for making a Gibson chair – you’ll just have to make a separate jig for the 30° lean of its posts.
The jig, the pattern with the sightline on it and the finished arm.
Our storefront will be open the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 23. We will be selling our full line of books and tools, of course. But we will be on hand to answer your questions, give demos and talk about woodworking. And to ply you with cookies. And to show you the clock if you ask (if you know, you know – but let’s just say you need to be 21 to see the clock, and it’s not naughty).
We will have a special, free, commemorative Lost Art Press…something…to give away – one to a visitor. It’s so special that we can’t yet reveal what is it. (We’re still workshopping ideas.) And we will also likely have blemished books and other LAP/Crucible items at 50 percent off. We might also have a few personal tools to sell – both Chris and I have some basement cleaning to do. (Blemished books and tools will be cash only). Our storefront is at 837 Willard St., Covington, Ky. 41011
So mark your calendars – we hope to see you in November!
I recently finished this Irish stick chair in red oak during a chair class and am offering it for sale to readers of the blog. This chair will be sold via a random drawing for $1,600 (that price includes both crating and shipping to your door anywhere in the lower 48).
Details on how to buy the chair are below.
About the Chair This chair is adapted from “The Stick Chair Book” (a free download). It is almost identical to the chair I built for my recent article in Fine Woodworking. It is a low chair (the seat is 16” from the floor), with a back that leans 20°. It is designed for one task: Sitting around with friends and family and talking, reading or sharing a drink.
Like all my chairs, this Irish chair is assembled with hide glue so it can be repaired easily in the future. The finish was a bit of an experiment. The oak was first colored with lye, which gives it a warm chestnut color. Then painted with General Finishes “Milk” Paint in Emerald (sadly, a discontinued color). Finally, I applied a thin coat of Black Bison Wax from Liberon (dark oak). Then I rubbed out the black wax, carefully burnishing through the paint in areas to give the chair a bit of an aged appearance.
I don’t do this finish often, but it seemed right for this chair.
The through-tenons on the arms are left slightly proud and are burnished, again to add some years to the piece. All the sticks and legs are left faceted straight from the tools, which adds texture and character to this folk form.
How to Buy the Chair The chair is being sold via a random drawing. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Thursday, Aug 29. Please use the subject line: “Irish Chair.” In the email please include your:
Name
U.S. shipping address
Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
If you are the “winner,” the chair will be shipped to your door. The $1,600 price includes the crate and all shipping charges. Alternatively, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)
We just posted two bonus videos about the Swedish tool chest. These short videos, hosted by me, discuss where this chest comes from historically and also offers a tour of the finished chest with tools in it.
If you have purchased the “Make a Swedish Tool Chest” video, you should have received an email notifying you of how to watch and download them. We decided to also post them here for free so everyone can get a look.
The hands making things and hands made by hand were made by:
